A Rose by Any Other Name
by Mnemosyne's Elegy
Summary: Yukine is a mess after another god names him against his will, and it threatens to unleash the magatsukami on the heavens.
1. Part 1

Yukine was looking over the shopping list Daikoku had given him when Yato came bouncing into the kitchen with a goofy grin.

"Yukine, we've got a job!" the god said as he waved his phone around emphatically.

Yukine fixed him with a flat stare. "Does it involve cleaning someone's bathroom?"

"Well…"

"Then I'm busy. I'm going shopping for Daikoku and Kofuku."

"But _I'm_ your master!"

"And you refuse to help out around here even though they're giving us a place to stay, so I'm doing it for you. You're welcome. Have fun with your bathroom." Yukine walked right past his whiny master to pull on his shoes.

"But what if there's an ayakashi?" Yato whined, trailing after him.

"In the bathroom?"

"There could be!"

"If there's an ayakashi haunting the guy's toilet bowl, I'll make sure to apologize to you later."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Yato said with a huff. "You're such a disobedient shinki."

"I don't know what to tell you. I'm an eternal teenager. Isn't that my job?"

"Man, kids are such a pain. Fine, fine, I'll do it myself. But don't expect me to share the money!"

"You won't share your five yen? Wow, I am just _shattered_ to hear that."

" _Yukineee_ , you're so meaaan."

"Start charging more and get some more interesting jobs, and maybe you'll actually be able to tempt me."

Yato frowned at the floor and muttered, "You know I can't afford to do that."

Yukine was so used to Yato just rolling with the punches that he was taken aback by the sudden serious note. It was true that Yato was afraid to charge more and lose what jobs he managed to scrape up and that he would obviously prefer to get more high-profile and interesting jobs, but he rarely complained about it seriously. He'd whine and play along with everyone's ribbing, so Yukine generally considered it fine to be sarcastic about it without wondering if it genuinely bothered him.

He felt a small pang of remorse. "Yato, I–"

Yato vanished into thin air, and Yukine let out a breath and rolled his eyes. Well, at least he'd have some peace and quiet to go shopping instead of being stuck hanging around someone's nasty bathroom with a hyperactive god.

Kofuku poked her head into the kitchen, glanced around, and headed over to rummage through the fridge. "You know," she said, "you can put off Daikoku's chores to go on Yato-chan's jobs with him."

"Actually, they're a nice excuse _not_ to go," Yukine muttered, hovering by the door. "Most of his jobs are annoying. Sometimes he makes me help, but half the time he does it all himself and I just sit around and wait for him. It's like I'm just there in case he runs into a random ayakashi or something. Like we're going to find one in some old guy's bathroom."

"Well, it _is_ helpful to keep your shinki close in case you run into an unexpected phantom," Kofuku said. She peeked around the fridge door to smile at Yukine. "But he probably just wants your company."

Yukine blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Yato-chan doesn't like to be alone. He's been alone so long that he gets lonely, you know? He likes having you around. He probably just wants you to keep him company, even if it's a job he could really do by himself."

"O-oh… You really think so?" Way to make him feel like a jerk.

"Yep! You don't have to go everywhere with him, but maybe go on even the silly jobs every once in a while. I'm sure he'd appreciate it!"

Yukine scowled at the floor as he stomped off to the front door. "Would it kill the idiot to just _say_ that?"

Kofuku's laughter floated after him. "Yato-chan is great at talking but horrible at communicating!"

"You can say that again… Well, I'll be back in a little while."

Yukine stuffed the shopping list into his pocket and sucked in a lungful of fresh air. He weaved around pedestrians as unnoticed as a ghost and headed in the general direction of the grocery store. It was pleasantly warm and an awful nice day—way too nice to waste thinking about his idiot god or wondering if he should be stuck in a stuffy bathroom instead.

It looked like he would probably have to go on Yato's next dumb job with him, so he might as well enjoy his break while he could. So instead of going straight to the store, he abandoned the road halfway there to tramp through the grass and sit beneath the cherry tree. It wasn't blooming anymore, but he smiled a little sadly anyway and leaned back in the grass to stare up at its branches. A gentle breeze tugged at his hair, and he let the sunny warmth seep into his skin and soothe away his tension.

The sheer serenity of the place threatened to lull him to sleep, and he was just beginning the process of coaxing himself to get up and go to the store already when he was interrupted.

"So, you're the hafuri?" someone asked from behind him.

He sat up and twisted around. It took him a second to place Takemikazuchi and his shinki Kiun. He had no particular love for either the thunder god or his lightning dragon. Past interactions, of which there had been few, had been generally negative.

"Did you need something?" Yukine asked coolly as he pulled himself to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

The dark-haired god tsked and shook his head. "An ill-mannered one, but we can fix that. Really, it's a shame to waste a hafuri on such a worthless minor god. Kiun."

Kiun's lips tightened. "Again, I feel obligated to tell you that I disapprove. This is highly inappropriate."

"I don't particularly care. _Go_."

Yukine slid his wary gaze back and forth between them. "What's going on?"

Kiun, living up to his reputation, moved like lightning and darted forward. Yukine whipped his hand up, intending to draw a borderline, but Kiun grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back before grabbing the other.

"Hey!" Yukine cried. He struggled and kicked backwards into the other shinki's leg, but Kiun didn't even flinch. "What do you want?"

"Kiun here refuses to become a hafuri for me, so I'm going for the next best thing," Takemikazuchi said with an unpleasant smile.

"I would ask you to reconsider," Kiun said in a flat voice.

"Would you be quiet already? In case you've forgotten, _I'm_ your master. Hush." Takemikazuchi's gaze swept over Yukine in an appraising, almost hungry fashion. "I can't say that I remember your name, but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore."

"My name is _Yukine_."

"Not anymore, it isn't." Takemikazuchi chuckled as if he'd just said something dreadfully clever and raised his hand in a familiar gesture.

Yukine's eyes widened. "No…"

The truth hit him like a ton of bricks, and his anger morphed into bone-chilling panic. He squirmed and struggled and thrashed about and yelled at the top of his lungs, but Kiun's grip was iron and Takemikazuchi never wavered. Blood rushed in Yukine's ears, nearly drowning out the damning words, but the kanji grew in the air as a series of glowing lines trailing after the god's moving finger.

"Stop it!" Yukine cried. He flinched back, shrinking into as small a target as possible now that his options for escape had been exhausted, but it wouldn't do any good and there wasn't anywhere to hide with Kiun holding him. "Leave me alone! I already have a master and a name!"

The kanji hovered in the air for a moment longer and then sank into the skin of Yukine's left forearm where it burned like acid. He gaped at it, his mind still reeling and unable to comprehend the horror, while Kiun let him go and stepped back and Takemikazuchi laughed in delight.

"Wonderful!" the god said. "I'm dying to see what form you'll take, but I think I'll wait. I don't make a habit of using noras, not even that one I named. I'll wait until I _persuade_ your worthless little god to release you."

" _What?_ " Yukine's head snapped up.

"He's such a minor god that he won't be able to stand up to me. Anyway, who wants a nora? I doubt it will be hard to convince him to let you go."

Yukine's breath caught in his throat. Yato wouldn't…

"Let me go!" he wailed. "Get it off!"

"Tell your god to meet me at the colloquy and we'll settle this. I look forward to working with you soon, Shiun."

"Th-that's not my name!"

Takemikazuchi smiled a pleased little smirk. "Isn't it?"

He turned away, followed by a stoic Kiun, and Yukine lunged after him.

"Release me!"

"Tell him about the colloquy. Remember."

Yukine's hand closed on empty air as the god and his shinki disappeared into thin air. He stared at the empty space where they had just been and then collapsed to his knees with a choked sound. His heart pounded erratically as he stared down at the damning name branded in red on the soft skin of his inner arm.

He was a _nora_. A reviled, disgusting, disloyal _nora_. A nora served many masters and was often loyal to none. Submitting to a new master was disloyal, disrespectful…unforgivable?

But he hadn't _wanted_ to! He didn't want to be a nora or have a new master.

Was this some kind of karma? He didn't appreciate Yato enough, so the world threw him a new master. He was a disobedient shinki, wasn't that what Yato had said? So disobedient that he'd gone and gotten himself another name. If he had just gone with Yato on the job like he should have, like he was supposed to, then this never would have happened.

What was he going to _do_?

What would _Yato_ do? He wouldn't abandon Yukine, would he? He had stood by Yukine before, even to the point of near-death, so surely he wouldn't… But would he be mad? Would he think it was Yukine's fault? He had used Nora for a long time, but would he accept his hafuri becoming a nora? Would Takemikazuchi force him to capitulate even if he didn't want to? What _was_ Takemikazuchi planning?

"What am I going to do?" he whispered, his voice breaking. He buried his face in his hands, and tears leaked through his fingers. He sniffled loudly and choked back a sob.

He felt violated and dirty, like the brand on his arm had turned him into something less than human. He was a nora, and he was ashamed of it. Just a few minutes ago he had been happily enjoying the scenery, idly toying with the idea of doing his chores, and now he was suddenly a _broken_ shinki.

He sucked in a breath as a sudden thought hit him. If he didn't get himself under control _now_ , Yato was going to know something was wrong. He might even blight Yato just from how guilty he felt.

Yukine had no idea how to solve his problems, so he focused on the one thing he _could_ do: calming down. He curled into a ball on the ground and took deep, shuddering breaths. It wasn't easy to tamp down the blinding panic and searing grief and drowning guilt and there was no way he could get rid of it completely, but he shoved it down to some small, dark corner of his mind before sitting back up and scrubbing the tears from his eyes.

 _Think, think, think. What should I do?_

He had no way of finding where Takemikazuchi and Kiun had gone. And even if he did, he had no way of forcing them to release him. He had no way of getting rid of the name on his arm. He was totally _helpless_.

There was only one thing he could do, so he pulled himself to his feet and staggered through the streets, forcing his emotions to settle down. It was easier said than done. Every time he thought he was burying them deep enough to hide, something reared its ugly head again.

He wandered the streets for a long time, mind still whirling as he tried fruitlessly to think of a way out of his situation, but eventually he gave up and headed back. As much as he wanted to run and disappear, everyone would worry if he didn't come home. They couldn't know anything was wrong. Not yet. He didn't think he could even talk about it without bursting into tears again, and he wasn't ready to reveal his shame to the world just yet.

So when he pushed his way through the door, he was wearing a smile. There was a thump from the other room, and Kofuku scrambled out to the hall in a tangle of limbs.

"Did you find–?" She paused and blinked at him. "Yukki?"

"Hi," he said with a wan smile.

"Daikoku, it's Yukki!" Kofuku grabbed Yukine's face in her hands and leaned in to study him with wide, anxious eyes. Daikoku came hurrying out behind her. "Are you alright, Yukki?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Yato doesn't think you are," Daikoku said grimly.

Yukine's heart stuttered. "Y-Yato?"

Kofuku released him, but her eyebrows were pinched in a frown. "Yato-chan came bursting in a couple hours ago in a panic demanding to know where you were. He said something was wrong…"

New fear welled up in Yukine's chest. Of course Yato would know. There was no way to hide that.

"Whatever happened, you really worried him," Daikoku said. "He left his job halfway through to come looking for you. When he heard you hadn't come back yet, he ran off to the grocery store. I guess he's been searching the whole area for you. We stayed here in case you came back."

"O-oh…" _Think, think, I need a cover story!_ "It's not really a big deal," Yukine said with a forced laugh. "I spotted a phantom on the way there and freaked out, and I ended up ducking into this alley to hide and it was really dark. I guess I sort of panicked a bit… Sorry, I thought I was sort of starting to get over that whole dark thing a little bit…" His eyes widened. "I was so freaked out that I forgot to pick up the groceries!"

 _Stupid, stupid!_ He had totally forgotten about the groceries. And he hadn't even thought to look for a way to cover up the name!

He plastered his arm to his side with the mark facing inward. He needed a long-sleeved shirt or something. He didn't want anyone to see it, not yet. Especially not Yato.

"Don't worry about that," Daikoku said roughly, his eyes bright with concern. "What's important is that you're safe."

"I'm going to call Yato-chan and let him know you made it back," Kofuku said, rushing back out of the room to find her phone. "Daikoku, make Yukki some tea, won't you? Or something to help him calm down."

Daikoku nodded. "Why don't you come sit down in the kitchen?"

He reached out, and Yukine took an automatic step back and then laughed nervously to cover his misstep. "Can I just, uh, go change real fast? I think I got this shirt all dirty in the alley…"

Daikoku dropped his hand and frowned, but nodded. "Come to the kitchen when you're ready. And I'd hurry, if I were you. Yato will be here as soon as Kofuku calls him."

Yukine nodded and darted for the stairs. He had to be presentable by the time Yato came charging in here. He ripped his shirt off and pulled on a lightweight long-sleeved one. An immediate wave of relief crashed over him when that ugly name disappeared from view, but it was quickly eclipsed when he heard the door downstairs crash open and Yato's loud voice ring through the house.

Crap, Yato must have teleported. Yukine had no more time to collect himself. He would have to face his master. His master who he may or may not have betrayed. Every step thumped on the wooden floorboards like a death knell, and Yukine descended the stairs like a man going to his execution.

Yato was standing by the kitchen table talking animatedly with Kofuku and Daikoku, but his eyes snapped to Yukine the second the latter dragged his feet into the room.

"What happened?" he demanded, searching the shinki's face.

Not _'are you alright?'_. He could probably sense the answer to that despite Yukine's best efforts.

"Yukki got chased into an alley by an ayakashi and panicked because it was dark," Kofuku supplied.

Yukine stared at his feet. He found it difficult to meet Yato's gaze, afraid that the god would be able to read the truth in his eyes. But when the silence dragged on, he risked a glance up to see Yato staring at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"Why don't you tell me yourself, Yukine?" Yato asked.

Yukine flinched. Was he even Yukine anymore? Did he deserve that name when he was now a nora? He had disgraced the name Yato had given him, and the brand on his arm burned like fire.

"Why?" he asked in a thin voice, even though he knew. If he spun that tale from his own mouth, Yato would know it was a lie in a second when he got stung. Or it would _confirm_ it was a lie, anyway. If Yato believed the story, he wouldn't be demanding confirmation. "Kofuku already said everything."

There was another long, heavy pause, and Yato let out a harsh sigh. "Are you going to tell me what really–?"

"Did you finish your job?" Yukine interrupted.

"I don't care about the job."

"You should go back and finish."

"But–"

"You can't really afford to leave jobs half-finished, can you?"

Yato pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and screwed his eyes shut in frustration, but then gave up. "Right. Did you pick up the groceries?"

"…No. I panicked and forgot."

"Don't worry about it," Daikoku interrupted. "We have enough for dinner tonight. I'll just go shopping tomorrow."

Yato ignored him. "Do you still have the list?"

"Y-yeah…" Yukine rummaged in his pocket and handed over the crumpled page.

Yato snatched it and headed for the door without another glance back, dark hair curtaining his face. "I'll pick them up after. We'll talk when I get back."

Yukine swallowed hard as he disappeared out the door. Yato didn't believe him and wanted answers. Yukine couldn't exactly blame him. He wouldn't believe himself either.

"Come sit down, Yukki." Kofuku bounced over, dragged him to the table, and pushed him down. "Are you feeling any better yet? Should I call Hiyorin? She dropped off some homework for you earlier, before Yato-chan freaked out, but she said she couldn't stay because she had some kind of big exam today."

Yukine shook his head and accepted the steaming tea Daikoku handed him. "I'm okay. Let her take her test." He took a sip and let the warmth slide down his throat soothingly. Then he frowned down into the cup and swirled the liquid around. "Kofuku? When is the next colloquy?"

"Hm? Colloquy? The day after tomorrow, isn't it? Did Yato-chan not mention it to you? I figured he'd be excited to go now that he has a shrine."

Yato probably had mentioned it, but Yukine had probably tuned him out. That was so soon. He didn't have much time to figure out what to tell Yato.

"You alright, kid?" Daikoku asked gruffly.

Yukine pasted on a smile and took another sip of his tea. "Yeah. Thanks for the tea."

He did his best to put on a brave face and relax, but he couldn't help being on edge. Kofuku chattered cheerily and dragged him outside to get some fresh air while she watered the garden. Yukine was torn between appreciating the distraction and finding her bubbly cheer tiring. But he knew she was trying to cheer him up, which he _did_ appreciate.

He couldn't imagine being able to concentrate on all those math problems Hiyori had brought him, so instead he helped Daikoku make dinner. Daikoku and Kofuku kept up a steady stream of chatter and did their best to include Yukine, who was getting steadily quieter as he waited anxiously for Yato to return.

Dinner was almost ready by the time Yato came clomping in with a couple bags hooked over his arm. His face was pinched and pale, his eyes serious, and he didn't make an attempt to fake good cheer like he normally would.

"Yato-chan is back!" Kofuku sang, whirling around the table to take the bags from him. "You made it just in time for dinner! Here, I'll put these away."

Yato grunted something like thanks in her direction and turned to Yukine, who suddenly found the floor very interesting. _Please, please don't make a scene here_.

"This is for you," Yato said. Yukine darted a look up from beneath his lashes and saw that Yato was holding out a silver phone that looked almost identical to his red one.

"M-me?" Yukine took the phone gingerly and flipped it open. Yato, who made barely any money and was saving it all for a shrine and occasionally wasting it on random charms and things, had bought him a _phone_?

"Mhm." Yato reached over to press a button so that the screen lit up and opened the contacts to scroll through. "I already set everything up. My number is here, as well as Hiyori's, Kofuku's, and Kazuma's. My number is also the first one on speed dial." He fixed flat, solemn eyes on Yukine's face. "For emergencies."

Yukine swallowed back the lump in his throat and bit his lip. There had been emergencies and inconveniences before, but even as dense as Yato was, he could sense this time was different. Yukine flipped the phone shut and his fingers closed tightly around it, clutching it like a lifeline. It was a reassurance, a promise that he could reach Yato when he needed help.

Sadly, it had come a little too late and he still wasn't sure how Yato would react to all this, but it made him want to cry anyway.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Oooh!" Kofuku abandoned the groceries and charged over to hang on Yukine's shoulder and drool over his phone. "Yukki finally has a phone! Give me your number! We can talk _all the time_ now!"

Yukine struggled with Kofuku's hyperactive attention and figured out how to send her his number, although he hoped she wouldn't _really_ use it to talk to him constantly. Over the top of her head, he caught a glimpse of Yato silently putting away the rest of the food.

"You're being so responsible for once," Daikoku remarked, elbowing Yato in the ribs as he walked past to dish out food. Yato hummed tonelessly and flopped down at the table without looking at anyone. New guilt twisted Yukine's heart. Yato was so out of sorts because Yukine couldn't keep his emotions in check. "Come on, you chatterboxes. Dinner is ready."

Kofuku chatted blithely through dinner with some help from Daikoku to keep some semblance of a conversation going, while Yukine and Yato stayed quiet and poked at their food halfheartedly. Neither had much of an appetite, which was solely Yukine's fault.

Yukine choked down his food with some difficulty and stood up from the table. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Ehhh?" Kofuku widened her eyes at him. "But Yukki, it's so early!"

He managed some sort of small laugh. "Yeah, I'm just pretty tired today."

"Well, you _have_ had a bit of a rough day, huh?" Daikoku asked. "Go ahead and get some sleep. I'm sure you'll be feeling better tomorrow."

Yukine wasn't sure of any such thing, but he just said goodnight and slunk away. Yato said nothing at all, but Yukine could feel the eyes on his back the whole way until he ducked out of sight.

The first thing he did when he got into the bathroom was rip his shirt off and twist around to search his back in the mirror. No ugly ayakashi eyeballs stared back, and he slumped over against the counter with a shuddering sigh of relief. So he hadn't actually _blighted_ Yato. That was something.

…Or Takemikazuchi, but Yukine had a vicious desire to blight _that_ bastard. If Takemikazuchi forced Yato to release him—or if Yato released him himself, which Yukine didn't want to think about—he had better be prepared for a lot of stinging. That might be a bit self-destructive on Yukine's part too, but he didn't know how he was supposed to live with and serve such a horrible master.

Yukine shoved his wrath aside, afraid Yato would feel that too, which backfired when his shame and fear came creeping back in.

He took a long bath and scrubbed frantically at the ugly name marring his arm until his skin was red and raw. It stayed stubbornly _there_.

Yukine wondered what would happen if he carved it out of his skin with a knife. Would it reappear somewhere else? Would it still bind him even if it was obliterated? Would he be free of it? But hurting himself would blight Yato. Wasn't that what had happened to one of Tenjin's shinki a while back? Then again, Yukine wouldn't necessarily be doing it for a _bad_ reason and felt it was justified as an attempt to release himself of the unwanted name in the only way he knew how, so maybe it wouldn't blight Yato after all.

But that wasn't a risk he was willing to take, and even just the thought of peeling his skin open and bleeding all over the floor made his stomach turn.

Feeling entirely helpless once again, he dried himself off and pulled on nightclothes with long sleeves. He stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment, but he didn't like what he saw. Shaking his head in hopeless despair, he headed for bed.

And stopped short when he stepped inside their attic room and found Yato sitting cross-legged on his futon, staring at the doorway with patient anticipation. Waiting. Yukine felt trapped and exposed under the intense scrutiny.

"Shut the door," Yato said. Yukine shut the door with trembling fingers and crept over to his own futon, hoping Yato would take the hint. No such luck. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Not really," Yukine mumbled, settling on the bed and picking intently at the covers to avoid the god's piercing gaze.

"…Would you like to tell me what _really_ happened today?"

Yukine flinched and hunched his shoulders. "Not really," he whispered.

Yato sighed. "It'll make it much easier on both of us if you just tell me, you know."

Yukine's lips trembled and he blinked back tears. He was going to have to tell Yato, and soon. But the thought made his insides tie into knots, and…he just wasn't ready to jump off that cliff.

"Can we talk tomorrow?" he asked, hating the thin, pleading note in his voice.

"Yukine…"

He flinched again and his throat clogged up. "I don't want to talk now," he managed. "I need… Can we just talk tomorrow?"

There was another long pause, and then Yato sighed again. "Okay. Get some sleep and maybe it'll look better in the morning. But we _will_ talk tomorrow." Yukine nodded and burrowed under the blankets, flipping over to face away from him. Yato's footsteps trailed to the other side of the room as he turned the main light off and then creaked on the floorboards back to his bed. "You know," the god said into the stillness, "you can always talk to me about anything."

Yukine held back a sniffle and stared out at the circle of light cast by his lamp to keep the darkness at bay. "Yeah," he whispered.

The hopeful anticipation permeated the air a moment longer before the tension snapped like a thread and the covers rustled on the other side of the room.

"Goodnight, Yukine."

"Goodnight."

Yukine stared at the far wall and took shallow breaths and did his absolute best to think of nothing at all in the vain hope that the boredom might entice him to sleep. He was still far too wound up for that to work, but he tried to keep his thoughts and emotions in line at least until Yato fell asleep. The god was liable to go back on their agreement if he felt Yukine freaking out all night. At least it should be safer once he was asleep.

Yukine stayed tense until he heard Yato's breathing even out and deepen. Only then did he dare relax a little and breathe properly again. The first deep breath sent hot tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and he did his best to just _stop breathing_ as if that would help. Instead, it made his next deep, shuddering breath draw out a new handful of tears.

He curled up in a ball and pulled the blanket up over his mouth to stifle his shaky breathing. He cried silently, with only his muffled, hitching breathing to give him away. He was afraid to make too much noise in case he woke Yato, so he just curled up ever tighter and buried his tears in the silence.

It felt like an eternity, like there was an ocean in his chest and he would never run out of tears, but then the blanket was jerked down away from his face. His eyes flew open and he scrubbed at the tears until the blurred film over his vision was wiped clean.

Yato was crouched in front of him, silhouetted in the circle of light from the lamp, watching him with narrowed eyes and a frown.

"Y-Yato?" Yukine stammered, his voice wavering dangerously. "Did I wake you up? I'm–"

"No," Yato said flatly. "It's impossible to sleep when my chest feels like a warzone, anyway."

Yukine's eyes filled with tears again. "I-I'm s-sorry."

"Forget that." Yato waved a dismissive hand and nudged Yukine's legs out of the way with his foot to sit cross-legged on the futon. "Come on, kid. Neither of us is going to be sleeping any time soon anyway, so we might as well talk."

"I-I don't really–"

"Something obviously happened to mess you up this much. And you can barely even stand to look at me anymore and keep flinching like I'm going to hit you or something. What did I do this time?"

Yukine sat up in a flurry of blankets. "You didn't do anything! It's not like that…"

Yato tilted his head, blue eyes glowing with an almost ethereal light from the shadows as they slid across Yukine's face as if trying to pry into his very soul. "Obviously something else happened, but it's starting to feel like I'm somehow involved."

Yukine pulled his knees up to his chest and hunched his shoulders. "It's not–"

"Then _talk to me_. You can't expect me to ignore something this big, and obviously it isn't doing any good for you to be ignoring it either if you're crying alone in the dark when you think I'm asleep."

Yukine shrank into himself as much as he possibly could until he looked as small and miserable as he felt. He couldn't keep running away forever, and his prolonged silence was only making things worse. He had to admit what happened to Yato, but…he still didn't want to.

"Don't be mad," he said in a small voice.

"Hm?" Something like worry glinted in Yato's eyes even as they narrowed. "About what?"

Yukine opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat and he choked on them. Yato stayed perfectly still and quiet as he watched the shinki's struggle and waited patiently for a resolution.

Yukine gave up and dropped his gaze, shame flushing his cheeks. He couldn't force himself to say the words, so… It would be like ripping off a Band-Aid, right?

He held out his left arm and flipped it over so that the inside was facing up. It was quivering, and his fingers shook as he pulled up the sleeve.

There was a long moment of _nothing_ , but then warm, slightly damp hands closed gently around his arm and drew it forward another centimeter or two. Yukine risked a glance up. Yato was studying the red-printed name in the faint light of the lamp, and no matter how desperately Yukine tried to decipher his expression, it remained shuttered.

"Who?" Yato asked, the word falling heavily in the darkness between them. His face was utterly unreadable, and he didn't look up.

"Takemikazuchi," Yukine rasped. The name scraped painfully along his cotton-dry throat. "That guy who's super obsessed with hafuri?"

"Hm."

"Are you mad?" Yukine asked, his voice growing ever smaller.

"Furious," Yato said tonelessly. His eyes had a strange, flat sheen to them. "But not at you."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Why?" Yato released Yukine's arm and met his gaze with those strange eyes. "Did you ask him to name you? Would you rather I release you so that you can work with him instead? Are you looking for a new master?"

"N-no!" Yukine cried, the tears spilling down his cheeks as his defense finally broke free in a tangled jumble of words. "Of course not! H-he cornered me and I–I– I would've used a borderline, but his shinki trapped me and– Why would I want a master like that? You're annoying and a pain, but–but you're the only master I want! I-I'm your–your hafuri, aren't I? Doesn't that mean that–that I swore eternal loyalty to you? I didn't want–"

"Then why are you apologizing?" Yato interrupted. His eyes glowed like ice as he dropped his gaze and pulled Yukine's sleeve back down over the other name. "It's not your fault. You wouldn't be such a mess if it was something you had agreed to." His hand rose to rub at his chest absently, and his eyes narrowed to slits. "The fact that you feel so guilty over it is unforgiveable," he muttered.

Yukine hooked his arms around his knees and pulled them closer to his chest as he watched Yato uncertainly. "You aren't… You aren't going to release me, are you?"

One eyebrow quirked upwards. "Do you want me to release you?"

"O-of course I don't!"

"Then I won't."

Yukine sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. He didn't know what to make of Yato's odd reaction, and it was making him nervous.

"He said he was going to make you release me," he mumbled. "He wants you to meet him at the colloquy."

"The colloquy, huh?" Yato propped an elbow on his knee and rested his cheek in his hand as he stared out blankly into the darkness edging the room. "He's a showy, prideful bastard. Either he thinks I won't want to make a scene in front of everyone and will let him get away with it, or he wants to publicly humiliate us."

"What are we going to do?" Yukine whispered.

"I'm going to force him to release you, of course." Any lingering warmth in Yato's eyes hardened into cold steel. "Don't you worry about it. He made a mistake crossing us. He thinks I'll roll over without a fuss because I'm just some weak, minor god. Either that or he really thinks I'm so averse to noras that I'd release you the second I saw his mark on you. Either way, he's a fool."

"I don't want to be a nora," Yukine mumbled, sniffling loudly.

Yato shrugged. "Not all noras are bad, and not all noras chose to become strays. Some get stuck with a name when their god disappears, some are named against their will, some just don't know any other way to live. But if it bothers you so much, I'll fix it. Takemikazuchi is a fool to think I would fall so easily to prejudice. I'm not stupid. I know it doesn't change anything."

Yukine stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Are you crazy? It changes _everything_!"

"No, it doesn't." Yato leaned forward, and gentle fingers tugged at the collar of Yukine's shirt to reveal the name written on the skin. Half-lidded eyes watched as his finger traced over the kanji. "You are Yukine." Each touch seared across Yukine's skin as if rebuilding and strengthening the name Yato's finger traced along his collarbone. "And you are mine, for as long as you wish to be."

Yukine's breath hitched and shuddered. _"You are Yukine. And you are mine."_

That was all he needed to know, all he had been afraid of losing, all he had needed Yato to promise him.

He burst into tears. His hands flew to cover his face as his body heaved with all the ugly sobs that had been building and building behind the dam struggling to hold back all the emotions he was afraid to feel. It hit him all at once, everything he had been trying and failing to hide from.

Arms wrapped around him snugly, tugging him forward, and Yukine fisted his hands in that stupid jersey and cried into Yato's chest like a child. Yato said nothing, but he held Yukine close and it felt warm and safe in his embrace.

Yukine cried for what felt like an eternity before _finally_ running out of tears and succumbing to sleep. He didn't even realize he'd cried himself to sleep until his eyes fluttered halfway open and he realized groggily that Yato was leaning over him, supporting his head and back as he lowered him back to a lying position.

"Y-Yato…" Yukine mumbled, his heavy eyelids already beginning to slide back down.

"Shhh," Yato crooned. He pulled the blanket up and tucked it beneath Yukine's chin, and the ice in his eyes had melted to a soft, loving blue. "Sleep, Yukine."

Yukine slid back into sleep with a sigh, almost sure he could feel fingers tenderly brushing his hair out of his face and dry lips brushing lightly against his forehead.

* * *

 **Note: I know Takemikazuchi is supposed to be getting some redemption and stuff now, but he seemed like the most obvious antagonist to use here. I didn't want to actually make up some random OC for it, and he's canonically a bit of a troublemaker and obsessed with hafuri. It made sense to me XD**


	2. Part 2

**Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys :) Don't worry, I can't see Yato releasing Yukine that easily XD Let's be honest, it's a bad idea to mess with Yato's kid :3**

* * *

When Yukine woke, he was alone. His eyes were sore and achy from crying, and he squinted them against the harsh influx of light pouring through the window. The other futon was empty, which meant that either Yato had gotten a job he'd decided to do on his own or it was later than Yukine usually got up.

Yukine swallowed and peeked beneath his sleeve, and his heart sank when he saw the name there mocking him. It was silly to hope it had disappeared overnight or been just a nightmare to start with.

Desperation welled in his chest again, but he reached up to touch the name on his collarbone. He could almost feel Yato's fingers tracing over it, burning it back into his heart and soul. _"You are Yukine. And you are mine."_

Yukine took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, and stood up. He would trust that. He still didn't feel great about the whole situation, but he focused on Yato's touch and voice to soothe some of the worry and shame away.

He pulled on some clothes—long-sleeved, of course—and headed downstairs. Hiyori, Kofuku, and Yato were in the kitchen, the former trying to do homework while the latter two made it impossible. They chattered animatedly, and Yato was hovering over Hiyori's shoulder with a pencil, sneakily attacking her papers when she left them unguarded.

"Yato!" Hiyori complained, batting his hand away. "Stop drawing on my homework!"

"But it's fuuun!"

"Well, you aren't the one who's going to have to turn in homework covered with capypers," she said sourly. She shuffled through her stack of papers and handed him one, turning it over to expose the blank back. "Here, I don't need this one. Draw on that and leave my homework alone!"

Yato snatched it up and plopped down at the table beside her. "Fine, fine. 'Morning, Yukine!"

Well, at least _someone_ was back to his normal self…

"Good morning," Yukine said, smothering a yawn behind his hand as he trudged over to sit down with his friends.

Hiyori smiled at him. "Look who's finally up! I thought we could have a lesson, but Yato told us to let you sleep in because you had a late night."

"O-oh…" Yukine cast an uncertain look at Yato, but the god was happily drawing away without a care in the world.

"How are you feeling today, Yukki?" Kofuku asked. She abandoned her fun harassing Hiyori to lunge for the fridge. "Daikoku made you breakfast! Let me just find it…"

"Oh, yeah." A more serious look pinched Hiyori's features. "Kofuku said you had a run-in with an ayakashi yesterday." She poked a finger at Yato. "Shouldn't you have been with him?"

"I was on a job!" Yato whined.

"It was my fault," Yukine muttered. "I didn't want to go on his job with him."

Kofuku bounced back over to set a plate of food in front of him. He didn't feel like eating but thanked her anyway.

Yato's lips tightened, but he didn't look up from his drawing. "Do you want to tell them what really happened, Yukine?"

Yukine froze and slowly pushed the food away. Of course he didn't want to tell them, but… But they were his friends, weren't they? They deserved to know. He had told Yato already, which was the hard part.

"Yukine?" Hiyori asked. She leaned across the table to eye him in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, there _is_ something else?" Kofuku's normally cheery eyes had turned serious. "We figured there must be, with how worried Yato-chan was. Just let me get Daikoku…"

She bustled out the door and returned a few moments later with Daikoku following behind, obviously torn away from watching the shop.

"What happened?" he asked, looking around the ring of solemn faces with a frown.

Yukine swallowed hard and looked to Yato for help. The god was still sketching absently, but he finally lifted his gaze to meet Yukine's eyes and nodded.

Yukine took a deep breath and looked down at his hands fiddling in his lap. "I stopped to hang out by the cherry tree before going to the store," he mumbled. "It was a nice day, and… Well, Takemikazuchi and Kiun cornered me down there." He pushed his sleeve back reluctantly, and the gesture was greeted by a chorus of gasps. "He wants to force Yato to release me at the colloquy tomorrow."

"He _named_ you?" Hiyori cried. "That's…"

"Extremely poor taste," Kofuku said grimly. "It's a horrible thing to name a shinki against their will. No wonder you were so upset…"

Daikoku growled out a string of curses that had even Yato raising his eyebrows.

"Are you okay, Yukine?" Hiyori asked anxiously.

Yukine forced a smile. "I will be, once that jerk releases me."

"Yeah…" Hiyori turned on Yato. "What are you going to do?"

Yato grinned. "We're going to go to the colloquy, of course!"

"Wh-what? But–"

He just laughed. "You worry too much! Relax. I'll take care of it. Old Take won't know what hit him."

Hiyori stared in horror. "Yukine is doomed," she lamented.

"Have a little faith," Yato complained. He hopped to his feet, the pencil clattering forgotten on the table, and grinned at them all. "Alright, I'm heading out! I'll be back in a bit."

Yukine frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Out!"

"You're really going to leave when Yukine is so upset?" Hiyori asked in disbelief.

"Aw, he's alright." Yato flapped a dismissive hand. "He's got you guys." He winked at Yukine and headed for the door. "If anything happens, call me!"

" _Call him_ ," Hiyori muttered with a shake of her head as he disappeared.

"Yeah…" Yukine pulled the phone out of his pocket and ran his fingers over the cover to soothe himself. "He got me a phone yesterday, before I even told him what happened. For emergencies. I should get you my number."

"Oh. That's good. He means well, just… I wish he was taking it more seriously. Are you really okay, Yukine?"

"Yeah…"

"Yato-chan is taking it very seriously. I haven't seen him this furious in _ages_." Kofuku turned on Daikoku with shining eyes and a wide grin. "Daikoku! We _have_ to go to the colloquy tomorrow!"

Daikoku's brows pinched together. "They don't really like it when we attend…"

"But there's going to be so much _draaama!_ Did you _see_ Yato-chan's face?"

"I don't know…"

"And we'll be there to support him and Yukki?" Kofuku wheedled.

Daikoku gave in. "Alright, alright."

"Yaaay!"

Hiyori was looking between them in bemusement. "Furious? He seemed like his normal happy-go-lucky self to me…"

Kofuku waved her hand in a dismissive fashion. "He's good at hiding things behind a smile, but did you see his _eyes_? Yato-chan is on the warpath!"

Come to think of it, Yato _had_ had a strange look in his eyes last night… He had said he was furious, too. Perhaps, Yukine reflected, his reaction had been so strange because he was having a hard time balancing comforting his shinki and raging against Takemikazuchi.

"I didn't notice," Hiyori said with a frown. "I guess I should pay more attention…"

"I do wish he had some kind of plan, though," Yukine grumbled.

"Don't worry so much," Daikoku grunted. "He might act like an idiot, but he'll fight till the end. I haven't seen eyes like that on him for a hundred years. It probably doesn't help that it was Takemikazuchi—I'm pretty sure Yato's still holding a grudge over that whole thing with Ebisu. And I'm sure it's worse that it's Yukine."

"Me?" Yukine blinked at him in bewilderment. "Why me?"

"You're his shinki, aren't you? Hafuri, even."

"Yato-chan feels your pain," Kofuku explained. "That's why he was so worried yesterday, right? Some gods see shinki as tools and some forge really deep bonds with them, and it's dangerous to hurt the shinki of the latter. Like Bisha!"

"Oh… That's true," Yukine conceded. "It hurts Yato too."

"That's…actually not what I meant. It's like… You like Hiyorin and Yato-chan, right? If someone hurt them, you would be upset, right? Because you see that they're hurting."

Yukine frowned at her, not sure where this was going. "Well, yes. Of course."

"Now, imagine if you could _feel_ how much they were hurting. Don't you think you would be that much more upset on their behalf?" Kofuku rounded the table and pinned down the page Yato had abandoned with one finger to drag it to the center. She smiled down at it a little sadly. "Yato-chan is so angry because he knows— _feels_ —exactly how much pain you're in. He will definitely fight to fix that."

Yukine stared down at the paper, his heart jumping into his throat. There was a wispy sketch of a boy with blankets drawn over his head, face almost entirely hidden except for the tears dripping down his chin. Littered around the rest of the page were a dozen depictions of the name written on Yukine's collarbone: big and small, thick and thin, curling in slender lines and carved in angry strokes that bit down deep into the paper.

"O-oh…" Yukine touched one of the larger kanji tentatively and traced his finger over each curve and line.

"That Takemikazuchi messed up," Daikoku said bluntly. "Yato isn't a god you want to cross."

"Yato-chan is scarier than Bisha!" Kofuku agreed.

Yukine actually thought Bishamon could be pretty damn scary when she wanted to be and Yato was often just a hyperactive child, but he didn't protest. His throat still felt tight, anyway.

"Well, I'm sure he'll figure it out," Hiyori said confidently. She smiled brightly at Yukine. "Yato can be a bit hopeless sometimes, but he's always rescued us when we needed rescuing, right? You'll definitely be fine! Do you still want a lesson today, or would you rather wait?"

"Yeah." Yukine swallowed past the lump in his throat and neatly folded the page to slip it in his pocket beside the phone. "I'm ready. Better than sitting around and worrying, right?"

"I need to go man the shop, but let me know if you need anything." Daikoku ruffled Yukine's hair as he brushed past. "You'll be alright, kid."

Kofuku wandered off, probably to get into more trouble and leave Daikoku to bail her out, and Hiyori started in on today's math lesson. Yukine found it a bit difficult to concentrate at first, his mind still running a million miles an hour and definitely _not_ preoccupied with _math_ , but did his best to really throw himself into it. It helped to have something else to focus on, and it didn't hurt that Hiyori seemed gentler than usual today.

"Yukine? Are you alright?"

But apparently he was still zoning out a little too much. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head to refocus on the problem. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Is it…really bad?" Hiyori asked hesitantly.

His pencil slowed to a stop. "It's…like he's trying to take away who I am and make me someone that I don't want to be. Names are really important to us, you know? I don't want to be his pet just because he takes what he wants without caring about what I want. I don't want to be a nora."

Hiyori stayed quiet for a long moment before saying, "But you're still Yukine. You're still _you_. He can't take that away from you."

Yukine huffed out a quiet laugh. "That's what Yato said."

"Oh?" Hiyori smiled down at her homework. "He's a bit crazy, but he cares a lot. He never gave up on you, not even back in the beginning. There's no way he would give you up now. I believe that he'll stand by you no matter how things turn out."

Yukine's lips trembled and his fingers tightened around the pencil. Hiyori was right. He had been wrong to be so afraid of Yato's reaction. He wouldn't be happy until the unwanted name was gone, but it helped to know that Yato wouldn't give up on him either way.

And everyone else had been so kind too. No one treated him like a nora or like he had done something wrong or was somehow less than he had been. He said a silent thanks to Kofuku and Daikoku and Hiyori too, and threw himself back into his lesson with renewed vigor because he felt that he owed it to Hiyori to show her that he appreciated everything.

Yato reappeared right around lunchtime with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face, and Kofuku trailed after him as he strolled into the kitchen with a bounce in his step.

"How did it go?" Hiyori asked immediately. " _Where_ did you go?"

"I went to grill that blonde bimbo for information," Yato said brightly, looking horribly pleased with himself.

A stab of panic flashed through Yukine. "Did you tell her–?"

"Pfft, of course not. I can keep secrets!"

Which was true enough. Actually, it might be one of the things Yato was best at, especially when it concerned his past. It had taken long enough for any of _that_ to come to light.

"Did you learn anything useful?" Kofuku asked.

"Any information is useful! I've got a pretty good idea of how to handle him." Yato grinned at Yukine. "Also, great news, Yukine! We've got a job!"

"We…do? What kind of job?"

"The psycho bitch contracted us some work. A little storm popped up nearby, and she's busy preparing for the colloquy."

"Ohhh?" asked Kofuku. "Bisha doesn't usually delegate work to other gods…"

Yato shrugged. "I guess she's busy. Want to go cut up some ayakashi, Yukine?"

Yukine nodded. "Sure."

"I'll come too," Hiyori volunteered.

Yato considered her for a second before grinning again. "Good idea! Let's go!"

He was off like a shot, leaving Yukine and Hiyori to scramble after him and curse his boundless energy. A small storm had darkened the sky a few blocks behind Tenjin's shrine, and they proceeded to cut through a swarm of ayakashi haunting the streets.

Well, Yato and Yukine did. Hiyori just occasionally kicked any that came too close to snapping at her cord. Yato just laughed and said he was glad she'd come along to be bait and lure in the ayakashi so that they didn't have to run around as much. In actuality, it might be because he thought having Hiyori around would make Yukine feel better.

After one near miss and a stern warning from Yato to ' _focus_ , Yukine', Yukine threw himself into the fighting and let it consume his focus until it crowded out everything else. There wasn't room for worries or shame or brooding when he was occupied with protecting his master.

So he was actually feeling pretty good when Yato called a halt. The bloody red and purple hues of the sunset were starting to darken into night, and Yukine wondered where all the time had gone.

"Good job, Yukine," Yato said, and Yukine materialized beside him. "And you were great bait, Hiyori! The ayakashi love you! We should do it again sometime."

Hiyori's tail flicked in annoyance. "I'm glad someone finds it amusing. Personally, I find it a bit of a pain to attract phantoms wherever I go."

"Only in your half-phantom form," Yato corrected cheerfully.

"Well, considering I'm in that form half the time…"

Yukine's stomach growled loudly, and both Yato and Hiyori turned to blink at him. He flushed.

"I guess it's time for dinner, huh, Yukine?" Yato said with a laugh.

"Sh-shut up!"

"You didn't eat much today," Hiyori said, her eyes softening. "Make sure you eat dinner, okay?"

"Yeah…"

"Here!" Yato pulled a huge handful of chocolates and hard candies out of his pocket and held it out to Yukine and Hiyori. He looked terribly pleased with himself. "That psycho bitch had bowls of candy and stuff sitting out, so I swiped a bunch!"

"He's going to spoil his appetite with all that!" Hiyori cried. "You can't feed him a bunch of candy right before dinner!"

"Why not?"

"You–"

Yukine snatched up the candies to unwrap them and pop them into his mouth. He was too hungry to turn his nose up at them, even considering that they'd been sitting in the pocket of that nasty tracksuit all day.

"Ha!" Yato crowed in victory. "Don't say I never do anything for you, kid. But make sure you eat your dinner too, or Daikoku and Hiyori will kill me. Okay, Yukine?"

It seemed like every other sentence he directed his shinki's way had Yukine's name tacked on to the beginning or end. Yukine wondered suddenly if Yato was doing it on purpose, taking every chance to reaffirm Yukine's chosen name. He…hoped so. It made his heart feel a little warmer.

"I'm going to tell Daikoku that you fed me a bunch of candy," he said around a mouthful of chocolate.

" _Yukineee!_ "

Hiyori huffed out a laugh and took one of the chocolates for herself. "Well, I need to head home before I worry my parents. And I'm starving too. I'm sorry I won't be able to go to the colloquy with you, but I'll definitely stop by to see how it went as soon as I can get away. Good luck! I'm sure it'll go fine, Yukine."

Yukine's newfound equanimity shattered at the reminder, but he plastered on a smile and choked down the last of the chocolate even though it suddenly tasted like cardboard.

"Yeah…" he mumbled. "Thanks. Goodnight, Hiyori."

"Goodnight!" She disappeared into the night, hopping home in great leaps and bounds.

"Um…" Yato scratched at his head and suddenly seemed uncertain. "More chocolate?"

"Nah, that's okay. I won't be hungry for dinner otherwise."

"Okay…"

They had walked almost right up to Kofuku's doorstep before it occurred to Yukine that Yato's sudden unease was probably because he could feel the return of Yukine's anxiety. He darted a sidelong look at his master, but Yato's eyes were distant and unfocused. He reached out, hesitated, and then tugged nervously at Yato's sleeve.

Yato's gaze snapped back to the present and he blinked down at Yukine with wide, puzzled eyes. "Yukine?"

Yukine released him, shoved his hands into his pockets, and looked away to hide his flush. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Huh? For what?"

"…The candy. Duh."

"Oh." Yato laughed and ruffled Yukine's hair as he shoved the door open and ushered him inside the shrine. "No problem, kiddo."

Yukine gave up on the fumbled attempt to convey his gratitude and followed Yato into the kitchen. Kofuku and Daikoku were already eating, and the latter waved a hand in the direction of a pot on the stove.

"We waited, but you're pretty late," he grunted.

Kofuku asked about their job, and she and Yato chatted cheerfully as everyone settled down at the table with food. Yukine didn't understand how those two always had so much energy. Or why their jaws hadn't dropped off from overuse yet.

Still, at least it saved him from having to make small talk. He appreciated the reprieve, but still stood up as soon as he'd finished eating.

"I'm going to head to bed," he said.

"You do have a big day tomorrow." Kofuku tilted her head and smiled. "Sleep well, Yukki!"

Yukine had no idea how he could sleep well when his heart was beating like a drum and his stomach churned in a fairly nauseating fashion, but he smiled and bade everyone goodnight. He didn't _mean_ to eavesdrop, but the hem of his pants snagged on something on the stairs halfway up, and he could still hear the voices in the kitchen as he bent down to free it.

"We're going to the colloquy too!" Kofuku chirped. "Isn't it exciting?"

"If you say so," Yato grunted. He had dropped his veneer of good cheer and sounded tired and grim.

That gave Yukine pause, and he sat down quietly on the step to listen.

"It'll be fine! Did you get the information you needed from Bisha?"

"Mm. Bits and pieces, but they're coming together. Anyway, it's just as useful to know about his personality to determine how to hit him so he breaks."

"Yato-chan is so cuuunning!"

Daikoku snorted. "That's a new one. Good to know you still have a brain buried somewhere, even if you rarely use it."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Sooo, Yato-chan, was Bisha really that busy? Or did you ask her for spare work? She isn't really the type to ask other gods to do things for her."

"Yeah, I asked. Smarmy bitch acted like she was doing me a grand favor or something. Practically made me beg for it."

"What did you expect? You two are always at each other's throats. At least you aren't actually trying to kill each other anymore. That was a pain. Maybe try being nicer and she'll overlook some of your obnoxiousness. You could start with dropping the insulting nicknames."

"Thanks for the advice, Mom."

"Why, you–"

"I thought it would give Yukine something to focus on to keep his mind off things and not worry so much. It worked for a while, anyway."

Yukine's fingers dug into his knees and he bit his lip.

"…Poor kid. Must be rough on him."

"You have no idea. He's a nervous wreck again."

"Can you blame him?"

"No, just… He didn't want to tell me what happened because he was afraid I'd be mad. As if… I don't know."

Yukine swallowed hard, shame pooling in his stomach. He hadn't really thought about it then, but it had been unfair to worry so much about Yato's reaction. He should have known better.

"Aw, don't worry so much, Yato-chan. Yukki adores you!"

"…You think so?"

"Mhm. He just can't show it because he's a teenager. Goodness knows how he can stand you, but he wouldn't have been so panicked if he wasn't desperate to be your hafuri and _only_ your hafuri, right? Don't take it personally. He was in shock. Everything is exaggerated when you're panicking."

"Hm… I guess so. Anyway, I'm headed to bed too."

"Ehhh? Already? It's so early, Yato-chan!"

"Yeah, well, it's not like I slept last night. I'm beat."

"Awww, stayed up all night worrying about Yukki?"

"Tch. 'Night, Kofuku. Daikoku."

 _Crap!_ Yukine stood hurriedly and began creeping back up the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. Yato might've gotten pricked by the eavesdropping, but hopefully he'd assume it was just from everything else going on. But if Yukine was caught on the stairs, the game was up.

"Goodnight, Yato-chan!"

"Do try to get some sleep, Yato. You aren't going to help the kid by running yourself ragged going in circles all night."

"Yeah, yeah. Goodnight."

Yukine scrambled into their room, flipped on the lamp, and dove beneath the covers. And not a moment too soon, because the stairs creaked softly. He closed his eyes and waited, heart thumping much too loudly, as the footsteps ascended the stairs and the door opened and closed.

There was a pause as Yato hesitated by the door, but then the god sighed. "I know you're still awake. I can feel your worry all the way from here."

"S-sorry…"

"Quit apologizing for silly things." Yato crossed the room and crouched down in front of Yukine, who opened his eyes to watch him anxiously from the safety of his blanket cocoon. "You're not going to be able to sleep with nerves like that. Calm down, Yukine."

"Sor–" Yukine swallowed down the automatic apology and averted his gaze. "I can't help it. Anything could happen tomorrow and…"

"Untrue. There's only one possible outcome, and it doesn't involve that bastard winning." Yato's words were heavy with quiet certainty, like he knew something Yukine didn't. "Have a little faith, Yukine. I know I'm not always the most reliable god, but… Trust me just this once. It'll be okay."

Yukine nodded slightly and met Yato's gaze a little shyly. "Okay."

And it did make him feel a little better, because he _did_ trust Yato.

Yato tilted his head to study Yukine and then sighed. "I should've been there," he murmured, the words almost swallowed up in the darkness.

Yukine's eyes widened and his heart pinched with guilt. "It's not–! I should've gone on the job, so…"

"It was just another dumb housemaid job," Yato said dismissively.

"Still, they're your jobs and you're my god, so…"

Yato watched him curiously for a moment and then huffed out a faint laugh. "Ah, well. It was just bad luck and inconvenient timing, really." He leaned over to lace his fingers through Yukine's. "But I'm here now, okay? You can go to sleep and stop worrying about everything. I'm not going to let anything happen. You're safe."

Yukine sniffled a little and clutched Yato's hand like a lifeline. And if it was maybe a little sweaty, he didn't complain.

* * *

 **Note: They're so cute lol Of course, Yato is a lot less squishy and sweet when you cross him, so Take had better watch out XD**

 **Also, Kofuku cracks me up.**


	3. Part 3

**Snow: I wouldn't worry too much. Take might've bitten off more than he could chew this time XD But yeah, I like seeing Yato and Yukine being all protective and cute lol Thanks for reading and reviewing :)**

* * *

There was still a hand in Yukine's when he woke up. He propped himself up on one elbow to regard Yato, who was sprawled across the floorboards on his back, dark hair fanning out around his head like a pillow and eyes twitching restlessly beneath their lids. Yukine wondered how he could possibly sleep on the hard wood like that, but he supposed Yato _had_ spent centuries bumming around and hiding out in other gods' shrines when the ayakashi came out hunting at night.

Yukine held on a moment longer and then wriggled his fingers out of Yato's slack grasp. He was such a child, clinging to the most unlikely of teddy bears, but…maybe every once in a while he needed a night to be a child.

"Wake up, idiot god," he barked as he pulled himself out of bed. "What are you doing on the floor?"

Yato's eyes flew open and he blinked out through them like peering through foggy glass, a bit disoriented and muddled. "Ohhh, morning already? How'd you sleep, Yukine?"

"Better than you," Yukine surmised dryly.

"I totally– Ow!" Yato had made to stand up, but fell back and squirmed on the floor as he clutched ineffectually at his back. "My back! I feel like an old man!"

"You _are_ an old man…"

"Don't be so mean, Yukine!"

"That's what you get for sleeping on the floor," Yukine mumbled, looking away. "By the way, what should I wear to a colloquy?"

"Just dress normally." Yato hopped to his feet with a wince and stretched out his limbs and back. "We won't be attending the colloquy itself."

"O-oh? What _is_ the plan?"

Yato grinned, but his pupils were slitted like a cat's and sharp as steel. "Leave it to me, kiddo."

And as anxious as Yukine was about the coming ordeal, he couldn't help but relax just a little. He slipped his phone and the folded piece of paper into his pocket like good luck charms, and their weight was comforting.

Kofuku and Yato seemed as cheerful as ever as they joked around for an hour or two before it was time to leave, but Daikoku said a few gruff words of encouragement despite his stoicism. Yukine wished Hiyori was here instead of stuck in an important test. She knew how to make him feel better, and he could use her company right now.

His anxiety grew the closer it came time to go, but he did his best to keep it in check. He did trust Yato and believed he would fix things. Still, the brand on his arm, the one that marked him as a slave and a tool and a nora, itched beneath his skin like gunpowder waiting to ignite.

He was quiet as he followed Yato and the others up to Takamagahara. His footsteps grew slower as they entered a large building and traipsed down a hallway. Voices floated out of a doorway as they approached. Lots of voices.

Yukine's stomach twisted into knots. He had to face all those gods as a nora? He really hoped Yato's plan, such that it was, involved getting Takemikazuchi somewhere private before laying into him.

"It's alright, Yukine." Yato draped an arm over Yukine's shoulders and steered him into a huge chamber filled with dozens and dozens of gods and shinki standing around and chatting as they waited for the colloquy to begin.

Yukine swallowed hard and nodded. His eyes were already darting about the room, searching out the thunder god.

"Oooh, it's Ebi-chan!" Kofuku squealed as she spotted the small, dark-haired child-god across the room. "Let's go say hi!"

She grabbed Daikoku's arm and went charging off, leaving the gods she passed to scramble out of the way to avoid her aura. So much for sticking around for support. She was easily distracted.

"Don't you think you're a little underdressed?" Bishamon asked dryly as she and Kazuma drifted over. They were both wearing formal military attire, and neither seemed impressed by Yukine's street clothes and Yato's ever-present tracksuit.

Come to think of it, all the gods here were dressed up. Yukine flushed, suddenly feeling even more out of place.

"Bakagami," he hissed. "Why did you say normal clothes?"

Yato just grinned. "We aren't staying for the colloquy. We've just got some business to take care of beforehand."

"Not staying?" Bishamon frowned and then smirked. "Oh, you must be very busy, huh? Do you need to beg any more work?"

Yato's eye twitched, but he didn't defend himself. And Yukine felt bad, after what he'd overheard last night.

"We were taking care of that storm anyway, since it was nearby," he mumbled, digging his toe into the floor. "So we thought it made sense to let you know so that you didn't come too."

Yato started in surprise, and the color rose to Yukine's cheeks as he felt both gods staring at him.

"Ohhh?" Bishamon asked. "That's interesting, I thought–"

"Yatogami!" a voice called from behind them. Yukine froze and forgot how to breathe, eyes widening as the name on his arm burned like fire. Yato stilled beside him, then turned to face Takemikazuchi and touched Yukine's lower back to steer him around as well. Takemikazuchi was grinning as he approached, looking unbearably smug, while Kiun followed a pace behind with an unreadable expression. "So glad you could make it! And you even brought Shiun. Wonderful."

"Th-that's not my name!" Yukine protested, hating how his voice wavered.

The thunder god smirked. "Isn't it?"

 _"You are Yukine. And you are mine."_

"No," Yukine said with new confidence. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists at his sides as anger won out over shame and fear. Why should he feel guilty for what this guy had done to him? Why should he be scared and weak and give the bastard the pleasure? Yato still wanted Yukine and was going to fight instead of cry like a scared child, so Yukine would too. "My name is Yukine and _only_ Yukine. If you want a hafuri, treat your own shinki right and get one yourself."

"Oh–?"

"You heard the kid." Yato's voice held no inflection and no warmth. It was as flat as his eyes, which had lost all their life and cheer the second Takemikazuchi had opened his mouth. "Release him."

"What's going on?" Kazuma asked as he watched uneasily.

Takemikazuchi was either oblivious to or unperturbed by the sudden deathly calm hanging over Yato and continued on blithely. "I don't think you're really in any position to be making demands, are you? Now, let me tell you how this is going to work. You–"

"I think you're misunderstanding," Yato said. A chill was creeping into the very edges of his voice, threading through and under and around each note like the first breath of a winter breeze. Yukine watched him with wide eyes, taken aback by the flat, merciless sheen clouding his eyes and hardening his voice. "We aren't here to negotiate or concede to your demands, and I don't care _what_ you thought you were going to accomplish with this. I'm not prone to showing mercy, but I'll give you the chance to release him as a gesture of goodwill."

Takemikazuchi snorted. "Your bluffing won't work on me. I know you're just a–"

"Weak, pathetic, worthless minor god," Yato finished for him, and each word cut like steel. "And that's why I'm giving you a chance, because you seem to have forgotten who I am." He stepped forward and leaned in, and Yukine had to strain to hear him as he lowered his voice. "I suppose memories aren't passed through reincarnation."

Takemikazuchi reeled back and shock clouded his face as his smug expression wavered for the first time. "H-how do you know about that?"

Yato showed no satisfaction at having seriously rattled his opponent, even if Yukine didn't understand exactly what had passed between the two gods. Yukine shivered a little. It was disturbing how that bright, cheerful light that usually warmed Yato's eyes had been dulled and smothered by an opaque film that left them flat and shadowed.

"You seem to have forgotten that I'm a magatsukami," Yato said flatly. " _The_ magatsukami, even. I am the demon of your bedtime stories, child. You play at being a god of combat, but you've never fought a real war. I have fought for a thousand years, while you played with your lightning for amusement and threw yourself into public executions for sport." He stepped forward, and Takemikazuchi stepped back before he could catch himself. "You are but a whining child to me, and I am not amused. Don't test my patience. I have killed thousands upon thousands of humans for lesser offenses, as well as shinki…and even gods."

"Y-Yato…" Yukine stammered, although he didn't know what he wanted to say.

This was a side of his god that he had never truly seen before, a side that drew everyone's fear instinctively as it pulled the oxygen out of the air and sent a biting winter chill down the spines of anyone who drew too near. Yato normally looked so cheerful and unassuming with his goofy grin and stupid jersey, but now he was a dangerous predator that set off the alarm bells in everyone's heads. The knife-sharp words and flat tone and ancient, ice-cold eyes were out of place, and he was all the more frightening for how they stood in sharp contrast to the silly tracksuit and otherwise unassuming appearance.

He was a scary god indeed, but Yukine knew he was slipping back into his old role to protect him. And Yukine wanted to tell him to _stop_ , because Yato had spent so long trying to break free of the stigma of being a god of calamity so that he could escape his father and be a god of fortune instead, and here he was deliberately playing magatsukami for Yukine's sake.

Yato's chilly aura seemed to attract every eye, and the room had gone deathly still and silent with everyone frozen in place and hardly daring to breathe. If Yukine was being exposed as a nora to dozens of gods at once, Yato was exposing himself as the very thing he had fought so hard to leave behind.

"Are you threatening me?" Takemikazuchi asked, shaking himself out of his shock to glower in indignation.

 _Say no! Come up with an excuse! You can still salvage this without making an enemy of every god in the room!_

Yato leaned in, cold eyes level with the thunder god's own. "Yes."

So much for that. He was committed now.

Takemikazuchi laughed a little nervously and leaned back, apparently not having expected such a blunt confirmation either, but still threw up a shield of bravado. "You're awfully possessive of your property, aren't you?"

"Wrong. I'm awfully protective of my kid. I suggest you release Yukine before things turn ugly."

"If you killed me—which wouldn't be as easy as you seem to think it would be—I would just reincarnate anyway. His name wouldn't be released. You're bluffing."

"You think so, huh? Let me give you fair warning of what's going to happen if you don't release him."

Yato began walking forward one deliberate step at a time, each one clicking against the floor like a dangerously quiet threat. Flat eyes bore into the hapless thunder god, but those hard, black slits of pupils seemed to peel his skin back to pierce to the soul underneath. Perhaps Takemikazuchi felt the full weight of that gaze too, because he began hurriedly backing up with no further regard for pride or propriety as Yato approached. Maybe he wasn't so sure that Yato was bluffing anymore.

"I will kill you right here on heaven's doorstep, so there will be no hiding of your reincarnation," Yato said, every word heavy with promise. "Then I will hunt down your new incarnation and persuade him to release Yukine. Children tend to be eager to please, so it shouldn't be hard. If it is, then I'll force him. And if that still doesn't work, I will kill each one until I find one who is willing to cooperate."

Kiun stepped forward and then hesitated. Yukine felt like his feet were rooted to the ground, but he managed to hurry a few paces after Yato. He kept an eye on Kiun, ready to draw a borderline if it looked like he might interfere, but the other shinki didn't make a move. Either he didn't see it as a credible threat or was wary of getting involved in the affairs of gods or, perhaps, thought it would be a good lesson for Takemikazuchi to get what was coming to him. But the laissez-faire policy could change at any moment, so Yukine stayed on guard.

"You can't just do that!" Takemikazuchi spluttered. He shrank back another pace, and Yato continued advancing relentlessly. "I'm a powerful warrior and have shinki to protect me, you know! And the heavens would never overlook such an offense!"

"I've killed an entire clan of Bishamonten's shinki, and she's a hundred times the war god you are," Yato said coldly. "I'm not afraid of you or your shinki. And I'm not afraid of the heavens either." Takemikazuchi's back hit the wall behind him, and he could only watch Yato's inexorable approach with wide eyes. "You can run, you can hide behind your shinki or the heavens, but"—Yato leaned in until the gods' noses were nearly touching, and suddenly the flatness of his eyes was eclipsed by bright, cutting light that shone an ethereal blue and was as cold as ice—"I will _always_ find you."

Takemikazuchi shrank back, pressing himself against the wall even though he had nowhere to go. "Y-you–!"

"Sekki."

Yukine was startled by the unexpected command, but obediently transformed into steel. Yato whipped one blade up to press against Takemikazuchi's neck, and he held the other in a horizontal line across the side of his body as a barrier between himself and Kiun. A defensive position for if Kiun tried to involve himself.

Which was a very real possibility now that weapons had come out, but for now Kiun just tensed and watched the proceedings with narrowed eyes. Yukine had no doubt that Kiun would come if called and would draw a borderline the second he sensed things going too far, but for now Yato was still offering Takemikazuchi a way out instead of following through on his threats and it seemed that Kiun realized it. Either that or he truly was unsympathetic to the whole naming debacle. He hadn't seemed pleased at the time either.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Yato?" Yukine whispered into his god's mind. "Threatening him is one thing, but…"

Yato didn't answer, which didn't soothe Yukine's concerns. It felt wrong to so blatantly draw a shinki-weapon on another god in the middle of the heavens itself with the other gods clustered all around. Taboo, maybe. Yukine hoped it didn't get them into trouble.

That Yato would go so far was…

"What's it going to be?" Yato asked.

Takemikazuchi opened his mouth, and Yato whipped his hand around to cover it, switching his grip on the blade so that he didn't cut the other god. Takemikazuchi mumbled fruitlessly against Yato's hand.

"Another word of caution, before you continue." That bright, angry light lit Yato's eyes from the inside out, burning away the last of the flatness, and cold fury seeped into every word he spoke. "If you try to summon Yukine with that name you branded on him against his will, I will cut your tongue out so that you can never do it again. And then I will cut off every finger you dared touch him with, one at a time. And then I'll break every single bone in your body that I can find. And _then_ I'll kill you and hunt down your new incarnation.

"The way I see it, you have two options of what to do with that pretty little tongue of yours: lose it or release Yukine. What's it going to be?"

He removed his hand and replaced the blade at the other god's throat. Takemikazuchi positively shrank under Yato's merciless glare.

"R-release him…"

"Wise choice. Revert, Yukine." Yato didn't even glance back as Yukine materialized just behind him. His eyes, bright with contempt and wrath, were still fixed unwaveringly on Takemikazuchi. "That you could feel him crying and screaming and _didn't care_ means that you are unworthy of having any shinki at all. Release him. _Now_."

He stepped aside to leave an open space between Yukine and Takemikazuchi, but continued watching the other god like a hawk for any sign of deception. But Takemikazuchi, thoroughly cowed and hardly resembling his normal arrogant self, just raised trembling fingers and complied.

Yukine's heart jumped into his throat as the unwanted name peeled off his skin to hover in the air before him. He stared at it, every fiber of his being trembling in anticipation and willing it to just _disappear_.

"…I–I hereby release y-you of the name I-I've bestowed upon you…"

It cracked and shattered. There was no pain or sense of loss. If anything, Yukine felt lighter. _Free_. He shoved his sleeve up and frantically searched his skin. The brand was gone, and his lips trembled.

"You alright, Yukine?" Yato's gaze slid to the side to rest on Yukine for the first time, and the edges of that cold, ancient fury melted into something softer.

Yukine opened his mouth, but no words came out. He wasn't sure why he was trembling all over, why there were tears gathering in his eyes, but he was so relieved and grateful and he couldn't believe it was finally over.

He lunged forward to throw his arms around Yato and bury his tears in his chest. His arms closed around an insubstantial waist, and he realized for the first time how small Yato really was. It didn't normally occur to him since the god was taller and a bit larger than life, but Yato was so slender that he was a breath away from disappearing. It should be terrifying that such power was locked in such a small body, but there was also something unbearably fragile about it, like he might break and shatter under the pressure of everything he fought so hard to tamp down inside himself.

But Yato was strong and unbreakable and had survived for centuries and was… He was _home_. He was Yukine's protector, his home base, and he felt _safe_.

One hand pressed gently into Yukine's back, and the other stroked his hair soothingly.

"If you ever lay your filthy hands on my kid again, you won't have any hands left." The icy venom in Yato's voice was entirely at odds with the warm cocoon he was providing Yukine. "If you so much as look at him funny, I will dig your eyes out. And if you _ever_ make him cry again, I will rip your beating heart out of your chest with my bare hands. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Takemikazuchi squeaked.

"Wonderful!" Yato said brightly, and suddenly the terrifying, malevolent god had been replaced by his normal cheery self. The lightness of his voice was jarring. "I'm glad we had this chat. Always a pleasure doing business with you, Take!"

Yukine tilted his head up with a sniffle. Yato looked down at him, wearing a bright smile. He smoothed down Yukine's hair one more time and pulled the cuff of his jersey over his hand to wipe away the tearstains on the shinki's face.

"Looks like our business here is concluded!" he said. "Let's go home, Yukine."

There was still a hard edge to his eyes, they still shone a little too bright and sharp, but the goofy grin stayed firmly in place as he steered Yukine around and started back across the room. Yukine threw one last look over his shoulder at Takemikazuchi, white-faced and trembling against the wall, and Kiun watching stoically from the sidelines, and mustered up a glare before turning around and following alongside his god.

He promptly became aware that every person in the room was staring at them in stifling silence. Expressions ranged from shocked to disapproving to uneasy, and Yukine felt like a bug under a microscope with the heavy weight of judgment and oppressive silence pressing in on him from all sides. He shrank against Yato's side as if he could hide from the unwanted attention.

Yato himself seemed supremely unaffected. He swerved through the ranks of statue-like, disapproving gods to grab something off the long table running along the side of the room.

"Look, there's food! Want some, Yukine?"

His voice was far too loud and cheerful in the stillness, and Yukine flinched.

"N-no…"

Yukine couldn't imagine having an appetite when his stomach was twisted in knots, and he didn't understand how Yato could be thinking about food. The god took a big bite, appetite apparently unaffected.

"Suuure?" he asked with his mouth still full. "Free food is the best! Hey, I have no idea what this is, but it's pretty good!"

Yukine swallowed and let his gaze skitter about nervously as he crept through the crowd and tried to keep up with Yato's positively bouncy pace. His eye caught on Bishamon and Kazuma still standing near the door, watching with wide eyes but understanding expressions. He cut his gaze across the wall of reproving faces and narrowed his eyes.

Why should he be embarrassed or let them make him feel like he and Yato had done something wrong? Yato had stood up to a well-respected god and thumbed his nose at the very heavens solely for Yukine's sake. How many shinki could say that their gods would do that for them? Yato was a better god than any of them, and Yukine was lucky to have him. That didn't seem like something he should be ashamed of.

So he straightened himself up, squared his shoulders, and glared out at the onlookers defiantly.

"Hm?" Yato's gaze slid to the side, and he studied Yukine with curious eyes before grinning. "Try it!"

He shoved his stolen treat in Yukine's face, smearing it all over, and Yukine spluttered and wiped at the mess ineffectually.

"Quit it, idiot god! Gross, what is that? It's so salty! How can you stand it?"

"You don't like it?" Yato leaned in and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, I still have some of the psycho bitch's candy, if you want that instead."

Yukine snorted despite himself. "You're impossible."

Up ahead, Bishamon and Kazuma exchanged a look and slipped back out into the hallway. Yato and Yukine followed them out, leaving the other gods behind. Let them talk.

"He really named you?" Kazuma asked as Yato and Yukine joined him and Bishamon a short way down the hall. He shook his head, eyes hard. "Despicable. Are you alright, Yukine?"

Yukine lifted his chin. "I am now."

"That was wrong of him, but what were you _thinking_?" Bishamon demanded, jabbing a finger at Yato's chest. "You called him a _child_ and said he wasn't a proper warrior and humiliated him in front of everyone! Do you really think he'll let that go? You just made a dangerous enemy out of Takemikazuchi."

Yukine was afraid that was true. Despite what Yato had said, he was sure Takemikazuchi was a dangerous warrior with centuries of experience who wouldn't overlook such a blow to his pride so easily. Still, Yato himself was no lightweight…and was apparently frightening enough to make a high-ranking combat god back down without a fight.

"Wrong." Steel whispered at the edges of Yato's voice again, and his eyes went hard. "Takemikazuchi made an enemy out of me first."

Bishamon groaned. "Be that as it may, you just threatened a high-standing god and drew a weapon on him right in the middle of an official gathering of gods! You'll be lucky to just get a reprimand from the heavens!"

Yato shrugged. "Oh well."

"Reprimand?" Yukine looked between Yato and Bishamon. "Is he going to get in a lot of trouble?"

"Who knows?" Bishamon sighed harshly. "You might get away with it because Takemikazuchi named your shinki without permission from either of you, which will draw censure. Many gods won't be sympathetic to him and might see your reaction as justified, but… That was still a dangerous thing to do right on heaven's doorstep. And right after they executed Ebisu! Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

" _Killed?_ " Yukine asked shrilly, new fear twisting his heart. Yato winced. "Yato–"

"Calm down, kiddo. It's not likely. They might bitch at me a little, but it's not like I _actually_ killed him. Pulling a weapon on him isn't going to be enough to get me executed."

"He definitely deserved it, but…" Bishamon shook her head. "I'll smooth things out as best I can. I still have a bit of pull, even after Ebisu. Next time you want to threaten someone, don't do it in Takamagahara."

"Did you really have to do it in front of everyone?" Yukine asked with a sigh.

"Yep." Yato smiled, but his eyes were ice. "We were sending a message. Big-shot gods like him think they can get away with anything. Trust me, they'll think twice before messing with you again. Also, Takemikazuchi is an arrogant bastard, and it's more satisfying to break and expose him in front of everyone. You can't name a shinki again once you've released them, so you don't have to worry about him trying that again. Relax a little."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Yukine muttered.

"You fool," Bishamon groaned. "What were you going to do if he didn't back down?"

"Do?" Yato tilted his head and gave her a sunny smile. "Oh, I wasn't bluffing. I would have killed him."

She nearly choked on her own spit. "Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

"Well, why did you _think_ he backed down? He knew I meant it. If I was bluffing, he would've called me out on it."

Kazuma's chuckle was more resigned than anything. "Well, it's been a while since we've had such good entertainment at a colloquy, anyway."

Bishamon shot him an exasperated look. "Be that as it may–"

"Yato-chaaan!" Kofuku burst out into the hallway and launched herself at Yato, squeezing all the air out of him in a tight hug. Daikoku followed at a less frenetic pace. "You were so scary! Didn't I tell you that he was scarier than Bisha, Yukki?"

Bishamon's eyebrows nearly jumped right up off her forehead.

"I told you it would work out," Daikoku said gruffly, but his eyes shone with relief.

Kazuma smiled sheepishly. "I'd almost forgotten how scary you can be."

"Did you?" Yato asked, his eyebrows arching over eyes that still held more than an edge of steel. He patted Kofuku on the head and disentangled himself from her grip.

"Ah, maybe not."

That reminded Yukine of his other fear, and he turned on Yato with a scowl.

"What were you _thinking_?" he asked. "What made you think it was a good idea to play god of calamity in front of everyone?"

Yato tilted his head, eyes more curious than cold now. "It's not a big deal."

"It _is_! You've spent so long trying to escape that, and now they're all going to see you as a magatsukami again! Don't give them or your father the satisfaction."

"Oh dear, you have a point." Yato huffed out an annoyed breath. "Father's going to jump all over this when he hears about it, and he has eyes everywhere. 'Yaboku, you're back in the business of calamity? Wonderful, help me beat this video game level and then kill these people for me!' What a pain."

Yukine's gaze jumped to Bishamon and Kazuma. "Shhh, don't–"

"They already know that the sorcerer is my father, remember?" Yato said dismissively. "Nosy bastards."

"Forget that," Yukine huffed in acknowledgement. "You're missing the point. It's not worth pulling up the past again."

"Oh? I thought it was." Yato shrugged and tapped a finger on his lips thoughtfully. "It's like… Think about it like a nora. I have different names for different purposes, right? Yaboku, Yato, god of calamity, god of war, delivery god, whatever. A god of war is more useful when fighting ayakashi, but less useful for housemaid wishes, yeah? I can be many things, and each has its place. I usually try to avoid Yaboku and magatsukami because those belong to Father and he isn't a master I like to serve, but they can be useful at times like this. As far as I'm concerned, they're a tool to be used in certain situations, not a permanent state of being. So maybe everyone will look at me a little funny, but it's not something I'm going to lose any sleep over. Don't worry so much."

"Nora…?" Yukine frowned, something from their conversation a couple nights past tugging at his memory. "Not all noras are bad… You were talking about _yourself_?"

"Huh?" Yato blinked at him in bemusement and then laughed. "No, I was talking about noras."

"Not all noras chose to become strays," Yukine mumbled under his breath, searching for the way the pieces connected.

"But I _did_ choose to become a nora, didn't I?" Yato tipped his head with a small smile. "I was named Yaboku and created as a magatsukami. If I didn't choose to become a stray, Yato never would have existed.

"Look, Yukine, the point I was trying to make is that a name is exactly what you make of it. Names are important because you define them and they define you. You have to choose what you want to define you. Takemikazuchi's name turned you into a tool, something less than human, and you didn't like it. You've already created yourself as Yukine. It's not so much about the master you serve as the relationships it defines and the person you've chosen to become. You created Yukine, and you protect that name and fight off the chains you don't want in order to preserve the identity you've forged. It's not bad to have other names, as long as they're names that are part of you. But like I said, if it's a name you don't want, I'll fix it."

Yukine opened his mouth, closed it again. What defined him? What _was_ 'Yukine', then? What was it, exactly, that he had chosen to define him? What was he fighting to protect?

That sounded like something that would require some soul-searching if he wanted a concrete answer. Which probably wasn't a bad thing. If there was anything worth figuring out in this world, it was himself.

"Yato-chan is so wiiise!" Kofuku cooed.

"You _do_ have a brain after all," Daikoku muttered. "Who would've thought it?"

"Whatever." Yato turned and started back down the hallway with a bounce in his step. " _Noragami_. I like it!"

Yukine facepalmed. "Seriously?"

"Oh, and thanks for the info, psycho bitch!"

"Ooh, let's go, Yukki!" Kofuku said as she and Daikoku headed after Yato. "I bet Hiyorin is waiting to hear how things went!"

Yukine smiled sheepishly at a fuming Bishamon. "Sorry about my idiot master."

Bishamon just rolled her eyes. "Yato will be Yato. Whatever name he goes by, he's still a stupid bastard."

Whatever name…? Yukine's breath caught in his throat.

 _I'm sorry your father won't release you, Yato. I wish I could make him release you like you made Takemikazuchi release me._

"Don't judge him too harshly, Yukine." Kazuma cast a look after Yato's retreating form before focusing solemn eyes on Yukine. "It's a bit of a shock to see that side of him when you haven't truly experienced it before, but you know there's more to him than that. People have a hard time seeing through to the real him since he hides it so well, but…

"You know, I haven't seen him form close relationships with any shinki, really—aside from that nora, but I got the feeling that one wasn't entirely positive. But he saw something in you, something worth fighting for, and he chose you. And you chose him, which is something few people have done. See if you can't find the real him buried in there somewhere like he found the real you.

"You chose each other. Your name isn't just about what master you serve. You belong to him, and he belongs to you." Kazuma smiled gently. "So you _should_ be proud of your name. It's a gift, a promise, a bond. No one has the right to interfere with that, and it _is_ something worth protecting and fighting for."

"Y-yeah!"

The real Yato, huh? The one that wasn't quite that cold god of calamity or that obnoxiously, naïvely cheerful god who didn't take anything seriously. The one that was something more complex, buried deep under centuries of defenses, that was a little bit of both and a little bit of something else entirely. Maybe the Yato that peeked through on the nights where Yukine needed a protector, a hug to cry into, a hand to hold.

Yato wasn't an easy god to understand at the best of times and Yukine had little hope of unraveling and understanding centuries in such a short while, but there would be time to figure it out.

Bishamon stared at Kazuma and then smiled a little to herself. Yukine liked watching them together. He hoped that he would be with Yato long enough to have a relationship that deep and close and meaningful. But even though he and Yato hadn't really been together all that long, he felt like they _did_ have something special.

"Yukine!" Yato called back, already halfway out the door. "Hurry up before we leave you behind!"

"Coming!" Yukine bowed to Bishamon and Kazuma. "Thank you for all your help."

He ran after Yato, feet slapping against the floor, and the god waited for him in the doorway despite his good-natured threats. For now, he pushed aside all the philosophical questions. The unwanted name was gone for good, he was still Yukine and only Yukine, and Yato was here to stay.

 _"You are Yukine. And you are mine."_

And for now, that was enough.

Unsurprisingly, Hiyori was waiting for them at home, anxious for news. "What happened?" she demanded as soon as they walked inside. "Are you okay, Yukine? Is everything fixed?"

Kofuku laughed. "Aw, it's really too bad you missed it! It was a great show!"

Yukine grinned and pride swelled in his chest. "Yato was totally badass!"

His eyes shone as he regaled a wide-eyed Hiyori with the tale of his god's exploits. Whether or not Yato's public spectacle had been a good idea, Yukine couldn't help but feel a warm sort of happiness when he recalled how fiercely protective Yato had been. Every time Yato had called Yukine his kid instead of just fighting to protect his property— _"Wrong. I'm awfully protective of my kid."_ The way he had been willing to square off against the heavens and thought it was worth it to bare the fangs he tried so hard to hide just for Yukine's sake. How he stood by Yukine through everything and took the time to soothe the pain away.

Yato slouched against the opposite wall with his hands shoved in his pockets and one foot kicked back against the wall idly, watching silently from a distance with half-lidded eyes that were still a little too sharp but fond while Yukine and Kofuku talked over each other and Hiyori gaped and Daikoku started on lunch. He didn't move until his phone rang. Then he whipped it out of his pocket, answered it with his usual upbeat greeting, and listened to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there!" He flashed Yukine and the others a grin. "Looks like I've got a job. I'll be back in a bit!"

"Wait!" Yukine jumped up. "I'll come with you."

Yato flapped his hand dismissively. "It's just organizing some kitchen."

"Your jobs are my jobs too." Yukine flushed and added in a grumble, "Besides, there could always be an ayakashi hiding in the fridge."

Something fragile shimmered in Yato's eyes and his smile held a hint of shy gratitude and quiet contentment, and Yukine wondered if maybe he'd gotten a brief glimpse of the hidden Yato underneath all the masks.

"Whatever you say, kid." Yato's smile widened into his normal grin, and he slung an arm over Yukine's shoulders as he teleported. "I could use an assistant for the dirty parts!"

"Idiot god!"

 _You are Yato. And you are mine._

* * *

 **Note: Wow, sorry it turned all philosophical there. I was a psych major, and sometimes it shows when I get really into analyzing characters and sniffing out connections X)**

 **In short, don't mess with Yato's kid. He has no patience for this BS lol Much nicer to keep friendly Yato instead of waking absolutely-freaking-terrifying Yato XD I'm sure y'all want a real beat-down, but I suck at writing fight scenes lol And I can't see that going over well at a colloquy anyway. Yato can be scary enough without it, ha ha.**

 **And yay, bonding moments :3 I am a sucker for bonding moments.**

 **UPDATE: Someone drew some really cool fanart for this story! Check it out here:** **nerdismysafespace-01. tumblr [.com]/post/180147821515/a-rose-by-any-other-name-by-mnemosynes-elegy-so-i [just remove spaces and brackets]. It's super cute :)**


End file.
